Ovechkin says current NHL season will be his last
In short
Alexander Ovechkin, the Washington Capitals captain and the NHL's all-time regular-season goals leader, said the current season will be his last in the league. He told his teammates before a training session and said he took the decision in the summer, adding that he wanted to announce it before the team's first home game. Ovechkin, 41, has played for Washington since 2005 and won the Stanley Cup with the club in 2018.
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Alexander Ovechkin, the Russian forward and captain of the Washington Capitals, said the current season will be his last in the National Hockey League. According to Kommersant and Meduza, he told his teammates before a training session, in a video published by the club's press service. “It was important to me that you learned about it first. It's sad, but that's how it is,” Kommersant quoted him as saying. “This season we have an incredible team, there are still 82 matches ahead. Let's make the playoffs, let's have fun and enjoy the moment, because time will fly by.” [ 3 , 6 ]
Ovechkin said he took the decision in the summer, Kommersant and Vedomosti reported, with Vedomosti saying he took it together with his family. He said he wanted to announce it before the team's first home game so that he could thank everyone connected with hockey and everyone who had stood by him and his family through good times and heavy defeats, according to Kommersant, RBC and Vedomosti. “I love this game very much, but deep down I understand that this is the right decision,” Vedomosti quoted him as saying. He added that the team would do everything possible to make the year special. [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]
The 41-year-old has played for Washington since 2005 and signed a one-year contract with the club in July, Kommersant reported. Meduza said he has spent his entire NHL career with the Capitals and has captained the team since 2010. Washington won the Stanley Cup in 2018 and Ovechkin was named the most valuable player of the playoffs, according to both outlets. Kommersant reported that he holds the NHL regular-season goals record with 929, having surpassed Wayne Gretzky's 894 goals on 6 April 2025, and that he was included in the league's list of the 100 greatest players in 2017. Meduza reported he has 1,688 points in 1,575 games, tenth in league history. [ 3 , 5 , 6 ]
This is Ovechkin's 22nd NHL season. Vedomosti's sports section reported on 3 October that he began it with an assist as Washington beat the Carolina Hurricanes 5:2 away. Meduza quoted him on the length of his career: “Time flies. It seems like yesterday was my first year here, but now it is already the 22nd. And it happened as if with a snap of the fingers.” [ 5 , 6 ]
Kommersant also noted his career with the Russian national team, with three world championship titles in 2008, 2012 and 2014, and individual awards including the league's best rookie award in 2006, best regular-season player in 2008, 2009 and 2013, and most valuable playoff player in 2018. It said he was born in Moscow on 17 September 1985. [ 3 ]
Why it matters
Ovechkin holds the NHL record for regular-season goals, so his farewell season is likely to draw attention beyond Russia across the league's North American and international audience. It also sets up a final campaign for the Washington Capitals, with Ovechkin telling the team he wants a playoff run. The documents do not say what he plans to do after the season.
Key facts
- Alexander Ovechkin announced that the current season will be his last in the NHL. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- He told his teammates before a training session and said it was important that they learned of it first. [ 3 , 6 ]
- He said he took the decision in the summer and wanted to announce it before the team's first home game of the season. [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- He is 41 years old, has played for the Washington Capitals since 2005 and, according to Meduza, has captained the club since 2010. [ 3 , 5 , 6 ]
- He holds the NHL record for regular-season goals with 929. [ 3 , 6 ]
- He won the Stanley Cup with Washington in 2018 and was named the most valuable player of the playoffs. [ 3 , 6 ]
- This is his 22nd NHL season, and he signed a one-year contract with the club in July. [ 3 , 5 ]
- Meduza reported he has 1,688 points in 1,575 games, tenth in league history. [ 6 ]
Confirmed by several sources
- Alexander Ovechkin said the current season will be his last in the NHL. [ 1 , 2 , 3 , 4 , 5 , 6 ]
- He said he decided to end his NHL career in the summer. [ 3 , 5 ]
- He said he wanted to announce the decision before the team's first home game of the season. [ 3 , 4 , 5 ]
- He announced it to his teammates before a training session. [ 3 , 6 ]
- Ovechkin is 41 years old. [ 3 , 5 ]
- He has spent his NHL career with the Washington Capitals and won the Stanley Cup with the club in 2018. [ 3 , 6 ]
- He holds the NHL regular-season goals record with 929 goals. [ 3 , 6 ]
Still unclear
- Whether Ovechkin is ending his playing career entirely or only his NHL career. The documents say only that he will finish his NHL career after this season; none states whether he intends to play elsewhere.
- The exact date and place of the announcement to the team. Kommersant and Meduza say he told the team before a training session but give no date or location.
- The timing of the announcement relative to the start of the season. Kommersant quotes Ovechkin saying 82 matches lie ahead, while Vedomosti reported he had already played the season's opening game on 3 October; the documents do not reconcile the two.
What local media are saying
Timeline, local time
- TASS publishes a report that Ovechkin announced the current season will be his last in the NHL. [ 1 ]
- RIA Novosti publishes a report on the same announcement. [ 2 ]
- Kommersant publishes quotes from Ovechkin's video message to the team and from his letter. [ 3 ]
- RBC reports the announcement, noting he wanted to make it before the first home game of the season. [ 4 ]
- Vedomosti publishes his statement that he took the decision with his family in the summer. [ 5 ]
- Meduza publishes a report including his career statistics. [ 6 ]